Alex Fiva sidelined for season's finals

19 March 2014 14:49

Alex Fiva (SUI) -

FIS

LA PLAGNE, FRA - This season's last ski cross event will take place without Alex Fiva. The 28-year-old Swiss athlete has decided to sit out the final race at La Plagne, France, next Sunday due to an injury suffered in the first of two competitions in Are, Sweden, and his resulting fall out of the running for the 2013/14 ski cross crystal globe.

The Bündner resident lost control in his quarter final in the first Are race and went down hard on his back, bruising the lumbar region in his left hip.

While a CT examination didn't show any other injuries, the Are fall combined with the fact Fiva was already recovering from an earlier spinal disc herniation meant that the pain was simply too extreme to compete in the second race in Sweden.

As a result, he lost precious points in the battle for the crystal globe and lost any chance to catch up with World Cup leader Victor Oehling Norberg. Fiva is 116 points behind the leader with only the La Plagne event to go.

“Of course I would have loved to compete at the World Cup finals but due to my current health situation and the fact that I cannot defend my title anymore a start in La Plagne doesn't make any sense,” said Fiva who had high hopes in the title race after having claimed victory in two races this season (Kreischberg and Arosa) and also placing second once in Innichen/San Candido.

“You have to be 100% fit, otherwise the risk of injury is too high,” the ski crosser added.